-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Severe weather 's assault on middle America continued Tuesday , as tornadoes and thunderstorms pulverized communities and claimed at least six lives in Oklahoma and Kansas .

Twisters also brewed in Dallas and several northern Texas counties , according to the National Weather Service , with at least one tornado reported on the ground .

There was no rest for the weary and grieving .

Joplin , Missouri , where 124 died in a tornado Sunday , was briefly under a tornado warning late Tuesday , but it was later lifted . Still , the city braced for high winds .

Two motorists died when an uprooted tree slammed into their van in Stafford County , Kansas , according to the state adjutant general 's office .

The deadly string of tornadoes that rampaged through central Oklahoma killed at least four people , injured dozens and destroyed homes and vehicles , officials said .

Canadian County , Oklahoma , Sheriff Randall Edwards told CNN a large tornado that crossed I-40 near El Reno destroyed residences and caused a gas leak at an energy plant west of the state capital .

Four people died in the county , said Cherokee Ballard , spokesperson for the state medical examiner .

The twister injured motorists on I-40 and U.S. 81 , Canadian County Emergency Management Director Jerry Smith said . There were reports of property damage in the area .

El Reno city spokesman Terry Floyd said 20 workers were injured at a drilling rig .

Police and fire crews are searching for a missing 3-year-old old child in Piedmont , northwest of Oklahoma City , according to an emergency services worker who asked not to be named because she was not authorized to speak to the media .

`` Our town is totally leveled , '' she said .

`` All you can find now is debris and foundations , '' said the emergency services worker , her voice cracking with emotion . `` We 're still searching for survivors . We 'll be here all night . ''

Another tornado was seen at Chickasha , about 40 miles southwest of Oklahoma City . It later reached Newcastle , before pushing through Moore and Norman , suburbs of Oklahoma City . The National Weather Service warned residents and I-44 drivers to take precautionary action .

About 1,200 people packed a shelter in Newcastle , a bedroom community near Oklahoma City , during the storm , said City Manager Nick Nazar . `` That saved lives . ''

`` We have been extremely lucky , '' he said . `` Minor injuries so far . ''

About 100 people were displaced , and 50 homes were rendered uninhabitable , Nazar told CNN . Two or three businesses were damaged , as was an elementary school .

Statewide , at least 60 people were hurt and nearly 58,000 homes lost power , according to the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management .

The tornado that passed through Chickasha also damaged several other communities , including Newcastle .

`` It came right past the store , '' said Chickasha AutoZone employee Nathaniel Charlton . `` They had a little debris thrown across the parking lot . It was on the ground , but it was n't bad . ''

Sirens went off about 20 minutes before the storm pushed through , Charlton told CNN .

State officials received reports of damaged businesses in Chickasha .

`` This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation , '' the National Weather Service said during the storms .

No tornado damage was immediately reported within Oklahoma City 's borders .

Some employees at the weather agency 's Storm Prediction Center in Norman briefly took shelter as a tornado approached , a spokesman told CNN .

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin cited the storms ' intensity .

`` We 're still not out of the woods yet , '' she told CNN 's Anderson Cooper as strong storms moved across her state Tuesday evening . First responders were heading toward communities that have reported damage to homes , Fallin said .

Randy McCown , administrator at First Baptist Church of Piedmont , said the church was operating as a shelter for residents .

CNN Oklahoma City affiliates broadcast images of funnel clouds that dumped rain as they moved into more populated areas .

KWTV broadcast images of destroyed and damaged homes in El Reno .

The University of Oklahoma , based in Norman , on Tuesday afternoon suspended classes at its three campuses .

At Norman 's Tarahumara Restaurant , which specializes in Mexican food , all 20 employees showed up for work , though none of the customers did for nearly two hours preceding the storm 's arrival , said manager Juan de Leon .

As the storm struck at about 5:45 p.m. , he and the wait staff watched news programs on the restaurant 's 10 television sets in fear , he said . But when it hit , they were unimpressed . `` Just rain , '' said de Leon in a telephone interview . `` It looked like normal rain . '' Hail was mixed in , but the bits of ice were nothing special , `` little bitty ones , '' he said .

Two hours later , he said , the restaurant had filled up and it was business as usual .

Tornado watches were in effect Tuesday evening in Texas , Missouri , Arkansas , Oklahoma and Kansas .

In anticipation of the severe weather , American Airlines canceled 126 arriving and departing flights at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport , spokesman Ed Martelle told CNN .

Operations were suspended late Tuesday afternoon at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City .

A tornado was reported Tuesday in the Texas community of Bedford .

The tornado that struck Joplin on Sunday killed at least 124 people , authorities said Tuesday , making it the deadliest single U.S. tornado since modern record-keeping began more than 60 years ago .

CNN 's Dave Alsup , Matt Smith , Tom Watkins , Phil Gast , Dana Ford , Rick Martin , Sean Morris and Joe Sutton contributed to this report .

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Tornado warning lifted in Joplin , Missouri

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A young child is missing in Oklahoma city

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Two are killed during Kansas storms

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1,200 people jam into shelter in Oklahoma City suburb